Monroe: Spurs start season sound on defense

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http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.28b03c6.html

NBA: Spurs start season sound on defense

Web Posted: 11/22/2007 11:17 PM CST

Mike Monroe
San Antonio Express-News

Long before tipoff against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was discussing defense, his favorite basketball topic.
Through his team's first 11 games Popovich had seen a lot about which he was happy. At some point this season, he mused, he would have to unleash the sort of public upbraiding he used last season after the Milwaukee Bucks blitzed the Spurs 114-107 in a game at AT&T Center on Dec. 26.


Then, Popovich called the Spurs the worst defensive team he'd coached "in the last seven or eight years."

His players, Popovich had warned, had to remember that defense is what wins for the Spurs "... or we should go ahead and make plans for a long summer."

Popovich chuckled at the memory, knowing the Spurs' summer had been short after another championship run.

"Softest team you ever saw?" he recalled. "That will come, but I can't just use that willy-nilly. It has to be asked appropriately, at the right time, or enough times in a row, in the right situation against the right team."

By halftime of Wednesday's game, Popovich may have considered unloading on his troops again. The Magic had made 25 of 39 first-half shots and scored 64 points.

Instead, Popovich concluded Orlando simply had enjoyed one of those magical shooting spells. He put his most productive scoring lineup on the court and relied on the Magic to miss a few more shots in the second half.

"Actually," Popovich said, "I think our defense has been pretty sound for this early in the year. I don't even know where we rank, field goal-percentage-wise, but I think we've done pretty well defensively overall."

After Orlando's 56 percent shooting night, the Spurs dropped all the way to 20th in the league in field goal percentage defense, at 45.6 percent, but they are third in scoring defense, at 91.0 points allowed per game. Only Boston has a larger positive differential between points scored and allowed.

Popovich expected fewer mistakes in execution of a defensive scheme that relies on rotations unlike those used by most pro teams. Fabricio Oberto, Francisco Elson and Matt Bonner have learned to trust the system. At this time last season, all three evinced occasional uncertainty.

"Fab and Matt have gotten decent minutes this season," Popovich said, "and it's not like they're new players coming in learning the system. They knew the system pretty well, and everybody else really knows what's going on."

Bruce Bowen, the defender Popovich calls the NBA's best on the perimeter, understands how difficult it can be for newcomers to fully buy into the Spurs' scheme.

"It's a matter of guys just doing the things we work on now," Bowen said. "Instead of saying 'What if I don't get there? Maybe I'll just create something different.'

"You can't do that. You've still got to try to get there and do whatever rotation it is, because somebody else is behind you."

The scheme will get another test tonight when the Spurs play the Memphis Grizzlies. Committed to the fast pace he learned as Mike D'Antoni's top assistant in Phoenix, new Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni has his club pushing the ball at every opportunity. Averaging 104.5 points, the Grizzlies scored 101 points in a loss to the Spurs on Oct. 31.

"They're very athletic and very talented," Popovich said. "They've ac ulated quite a few players over the last few years in a variety of ways. They're a difficult team to guard, and with their new system they're not going to come out of the gates totally together and knowing what they're doing, but they can score."

[whottt]

Actually," Popovich said, "I think our defense has been pretty sound for this early in the year. I don't even know where we rank, field goal-percentage-wise, but I think we've done pretty well defensively overall."

After Orlando's 56 percent shooting night, the Spurs dropped all the way to 20th in the league in field goal percentage defense

Actually....that FG% ranking is horrible, even for this early in the season.

I can't remember the last time the Spurs weren't ranked in the top 10 in FG%, in the Duncan era, other than maybe the first game of the season or something...


They've never been ranked this low 10 games in...even when they were sucking on D.

[timvp]

Actually....that FG% ranking is horrible, even for this early in the season.

I can't remember the last time the Spurs weren't ranked in the top 10 in FG%, in the Duncan era, other than maybe the first game of the season or something...


They've never been ranked this low 10 games in...even when they were sucking on D.

The Spurs ranked in the teens for much of the first half of the season last year. IRRC, the Spurs were like 13th at the midpoint of the season.

[ChumpDumper]

Spurs start season sound on defense

A sucking sound.

[timvp]

Putting my apologist hat on, I'll point out that every team the Spurs have played this season has been in the top half of the league in field goal percentage, except Houston and Miami. Once the Spurs play more poor shooting teams, that number will fall.

But really, it's tough to be worried about the defense. Yeah, it's sub par in terms of what is expected out of the Spurs but it's right in line with how the team was defending for much of the season last year. Hopefully the Spurs flip the switch sooner this year so Spurs nation doesn't have to go into panic mode in late December and February when the team still can't defend anyone.

The main problem with the defense right now is the effort level. Duncan is far from his playoff defense mode and everyone else outside of Bowen isn't playing all out. For example, Parker was nails defensively last year in the playoffs but he (along with most of the rest of the team) isn't going full force on that end of the court.

12 games in and I'm not worried. If they are still 20th after 24 games, then that might be time to sound the alarm.

[ShoogarBear]

After Orlando's 56 percent shooting night, the Spurs dropped all the way to 20th in the league in field goal percentage defense, at 45.6 percent, but they are third in scoring defense, at 91.0 points allowed per game. Only Boston has a larger positive differential between points scored and allowed.

Since this is a Monroe article, I checked the NBA.com stats page. The Spurs are actually 21st in defensive FG%.

But they are 3rd in defensive 3P%. (And third in defensive FT%. )

Boston in first in both offensive and defensive FG%. I don't know if anyone's every done that over the course of a full season. They're also first in rebound differential. Of course, it's hard to get excited about their level of compe ion.

[raspsa]

I miss the old Pop, the one where his face gets all red and he's in danger of popping a vein onhis forehead..

[whottt]

The thing is...they're wasting the defensive pinnacle of Brent Barry's career.

[some_user86]

The thing is...they're wasting the defensive pinnacle of Brent Barry's career.

[nfg3]

I second imvp - too early to really get alarmed and the teams they have faced have been pretty good for the most part. Also being the reigning champs doesn't help considering all the teams are trying to judge their progress by how they play against us. Every night they have that bullseye on their backs but that comes with the territory. When we go EAST then our stats will greatly improve. Can't wait for Boston to come WEST and see what they can do against this conference.